Ahmedabad, October 22:From idea to product to patent to commercial production—rarely does it all fall into place for an innovator. Bhanjibhai Mathukia is happy that the small tractor he built for use in his fields will now be manufactured by a company, but he is still to come to terms with the fact that it could earn him some Rs 50 lakh-60 lakh in five years or so.Using a 10 HP diesel motor of the kind used for irrigation, Mathukia went to work and built a three-wheeled tractor to use on his 50-acre farm. That was in 1991.

‘I made the tractor just to fulfil my requirements. The big tractors were too expensive, they consume too much fuel, and are expensive to maintain,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s just luck that has brought me fame. I did not imagine anything like this. It all seems a miracle to me.’’Pramal Farmatics Ltd of Anand will on January 5 launch Mathukia’s baby under the brand name Vanraj, the name he gave it when he was done with building it.‘‘It will be priced Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh,’’ says J.J. Trivedi, director of Pramal. ‘‘This is much cheaper than big tractors, which cost about Rs 4 lakh. And it will consume only 1.25 litres of diesel per hour, against the four litres bigger tractors do. Since there is no competition in the small-tractor segment, Vanraj will quite possibly be a hit.’’The firm has already started manufacturing the tractor, and hopes to have 25 ready by launch date.

 

Mathukia’s lucky break came when Vanraj first got noticed by the Society for Research & Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies (SRISTI), a voluntary group based in Ahmedabad. SRISTI and its sister organisation, Gujarat Grassroots Innovations Augmentation Network (GIAN), had some modifications made, required for obtaining manufacturing licence. Among the changes made with help from engineers are: modifying the engine, wheels, and gearbox, and adding a power take-off shaft.Since looks matter when it comes to marketing a product, GIAN passed on Vanraj to the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, with which it has an arrangement for help with four products every year.After this was done, GIAN helped Bhanjibhai obtain patents in India and the U.S.

 

‘‘We had it modified, yes. But the basic concept of Mathukia remains intact,’’ says Chintan Bakshi, chief innovation manager at GIAN.The organisation also scouted for manufacturers, and finally struck a deal with Pramal Farmatics on October 16. Besides manufacturing rights, the company will retain marketing rights in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and the north-eastern states. GIAN is still finalising marketing rights for other states.

 

The agreement with Pramal is that it will make a down payment of Rs 3 lakh to GIAN. Half of this will go to Mathukia. GIAN will also get 2.25 per cent royalty on each tractor sold, for five years, or till 2,500 tractors are sold, whichever is earlier. Half of this, again, will go to Mathukia. In addition, he will get 20 per cent of the marketing firm’s total profits and will retain dealership rights for the Junagadh and Amreli districts. ‘‘In all Mathukia will get approximately Rs 50 lakh to Rs 60 lakh in the next five years,’’ says Bakshi. ‘‘We’ve already received the first tranche of the down payment, and will forward it to him.’’Mathukia, who has also won the National Innovation Foundation’s award for designing a checkdam with curved walls, had never dreamt this big. ‘‘I don’t know how much amount I will get. If it will be useful to the people of this country, it will be my pleasure,’’ he says.